Raspberry brownies are a chocolate treat that are either made with whole raspberries right in the mixture, or simply with raspberry flavoring. The dense, cake-like texture of brownies often combines well with raspberry flavoring because it gives the sweet chocolate a more tart taste. This baked good is popular to make any time of year, but is a great choice at holiday parties as well as special events, such as wedding showers or baby showers. Sometimes raspberry brownies are topped with a thin layer of frosting as well; cream-cheese frosting or whipped cream frosting are both popular choices because they are nice and light.
Bakers will typically make raspberry brownies from scratch, but home cooks who have less time may want to use a brownie mix. In most cases, it is no problem at all to adapt the recipe on the box of brownie mix to include fresh raspberries or raspberry flavoring. Those looking to make brownies from scratch will be able to locate many different recipes online, though the basic ingredients such as flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda, to name a few, are usually the same. The method of adding the raspberry flavoring to the brownies varies depending on the desired outcome.
Fresh or frozen raspberries, mixed in with the other ingredients, can really give the raspberry brownies a nice flavor as well as texture. Cooks generally find that it is a good idea to defrost the frozen raspberries before mixing them in, so they do not affect the baking time of the brownies. Some bakers will simply use raspberry preserves instead of whole raspberries; this can give the brownies a lighter flavor. It can also help to cut down on the amount of seeds found in the raspberry brownies, which can be an issue when cooks use whole berries.
Of course, some people choose to make raspberry brownies a different way, by simply making the brownie recipe as usual, and then adding a raspberry sauce, glaze or frosting on top. There are numerous recipes available for this method as well. This option for making raspberry brownies is especially popular at special events, because the frosting or glaze allows the baker an opportunity to decorate the brownies in a certain way, such as by drawing patterns or images in the icing. Some people will further decorate them with chocolate chips or whole fresh raspberries on top, for example.